Archive for March, 2012

After months of plotting and planning, Gnosis Dance Collective will proudly premier an original piece titled “The Green Chair”, created especially for Gnosis by esteemed choreographer and artistic director, Paco Gomes. The piece will debut during Bay Area Dance Week as part of Kathy Mata Ballet’s Dance Week Celebration 2012.

We were blessed to spend the summer of 2011 in the studio with Paco, collaborating and workshopping movement and creative concepts. The result is a Modern Afro-Brazilian nod to German choreographer Kurt Jooss’s ballet, “The Green Table”. Created in 1932, “The Green Table” dramatized social and political issues of that era , including political corruption, economic instability, crimes against humanity and the ever-present threat of war.

Eighty years later, we find these same issues to be relevant as ever. Gnosis’s “The Green Chair” echoes the urgency of Jooss’s original vision, dramatizing the archetypal energies that keep us trapped in patterns of conflict and strife. Uneasy alliances give way to destructive impulses as the dancers raise the question: is the pen truly mightier than the sword? The answer, of course, depends on who wields the pen – and to what purpose.

Sign up online today to attend this event for FREE on April 22nd and April 29th at Alonzo King’s LINES Dance Center.

Gnosis dancer Michael Leavell never ceases to amaze us with his endless enthusiasm and ever-growing list of dance endeavors…

In addition to his work and play with Gnosis Dance Collective, Mike has recently joined fellow dancers Peter Cheng, Peter Chou, Peadar Cremin, Vin Eiamvuthikorn, R. Jefferson Joseph and Indie Stan to form an all-mens’ performance group. Led by dancer/choreographer Weidong Yang, the group recently debuted their new piece titled, “Metal, The Fourth Element”.

According to Ancient Chinese philosophy, the world is comprised of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. As the fourth element, metal is associated with courage, grief and destruction, and often serves as the symbol for war. Similarly in African mythology, the Orisha of war, Ogun, is also the Orate of metal and technology. Inspired by these myths and symbols, “Metal, The Fourth Element” reveals how the discovery of metal marked the greatest leap of warfare in human history.

The sinuous and powerful choreography of this piece is inspired by the dancers’ past work with Paco Gomes and Weidong Yang’s lifelong explorations in multidisciplinary dance, Taiji, and martial arts movement. Combining the strength and fluidity of Modern and Afro-Brazilian dance with contact-based movement evocative of battle and hand-to-hand combat, the dancers embody the dual potential of man to create and to destroy. In Yang’s own words, “Metal perfectly symbolizes young warriors – their honesty, bravery, strength, romanticism, grief, and destruction.”

Click here to view some of Weidong Yang’s own images of the dancers in action, and sign up for free to see “Metal, The Fourth Element” as part of Kathy Mata Ballet’s presentation for Bay Area Dance Week, April 22ndand April 29th at Alonzo King’s LINES Dance Center.

What a fun afternoon! It was a heartwarming day of dance and community, and an excellent reminder that dance is the language of experience spanning all ages and cultures. The youngest dancer in the program hasn’t even reached the double-digits yet, while our oldest audience member at 105 years could probably teach us a thing or two about the original 1920s Charleston! So many thanks again to Kathy Mata Ballet and all of the sweet and supportive dancers, residents and staff at The Sequoias…

Following this afternoon’s “season opener” dance performance with Kathy Mata Ballet, Alanna will be swapping out her dance shoes for her musical instruments to make merry once again at SF’s Bazaar Cafe. She’ll be performing with two of her bands – Bugs In Costumes and The Honeybelles – in what’s sure to be a hilarious, harmonious evening! Featuring:

Gnosis will be stepping out in style and kicking up our heels with a fun, flirty, 1920s jazz-inspired number at this Sunday’s “End of Winter Celebration”, presented by Kathy Mata Ballet.

We’re excited to start the 2012 season with such an exuberant piece and for such a great cause. We can’t help but grin from ear to ear when we dance this rendition of “Ain’t Misbehavin'”, and we hope the wonderful folks at the Sequoias – San Francisco Senior Living Facility will enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy performing it!